“When Allāh created Ādam and blew within him the soul, Ādam sneezed. He said, “Alhamdulillah” so His Lord said, “O Ādam, Allah has mercy upon you.” These were the first words which the ears of man heard from Āllah.”[1]

The name of Allāh, ArRaḥmān (The Most Merciful), must occupy a special status within the heart of every Muslim since it clearly occupies a special status in the Qur’ān. We have been given knowledge of no less than 99 names of Allāh, all of which are majestic, perfect and glorious. The name “ArRaḥmān” however is particularly unique to every other name, so unique that the only other name which it can be placed side by side with is the greatest of all of these names – “Allāh”.[2] This name, ArRaḥmān has characteristics which are not shared by any other name of our Creator except Allāh. What follows are six examples of its uniqueness and special status.

1 – The name ArRaḥmān never appears in the Qur’ān in the indefinite form (lam ya’ti munakkaran qatt), whilst other names of Allāh appear in both the definite and indefinite form. We find Al-Azīz (definite) and Azīz (indefinite), Al-Ghafūr and Ghafūr. The exception to this rule is the name “Allāh” and another; “ArRaḥmān” There is no “Rahman”.

2 – The name ArRaḥmān never comes as a follower of another name (lam ya’ti taabi;an lismin aakhar). We find “ArRaḥmān ArRaḥīm” “Wa ilāhukum ilāhun wāhid”. There is no “ArRaḥīm ArRaḥmān”, or “Al-Ghafūr Ar-Raḥmān”. There is only one other name which has this characteristic – “Allāh”.

3 – When Allāh speaks about his Istiwā’ (ascension) over His Throne, the only name that is used is “Allāh”. He says: إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى

There is one exception to this rule. The only other name used in the Qur’ān when speaking about this is “ArRaḥmān”. Allāh says, الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى

4 – When speaking about the revelation of the Qur’ān, the name “Allāh” is used. He says, اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ

There is one other name that is used in the Qur’ān when speaking about its revelation. That name is “ArRaḥmān”. Allah says, “ArRaḥmān. ʿalamal Qur’ān”

5 – When doing Istiʿātha (seeking refuge from Shayṭān) we use the name “Allāh”

قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ (67)

There is one other name however that is used in the Qur’ān when speaking about Istiʿātha. That name is ArRaḥmān. Allāh says, قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ مِنْكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَقِيًّا

6 – When Allāh speaks about Shafāʿa (intercession) on the Day of Judgement, all the Āyāt in this regard use the name “Allāh”. Allāh says, قُلْ لِلَّهِ الشَّفَاعَةُ جَمِيعًا

There is one other name that is used when speaking about Shafāʿa. That name is ArRaḥmān. Allāh says, يَوْمَئِذٍ لَا تَنْفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ وَرَضِيَ لَهُ قَوْلًا

These are just a few examples indicating that the name “ArRaḥmān” occupies a status of its own. Thus Allāh said, قُلِ ادْعُوا اللَّهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّحْمَنَ أَيًّا مَا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى

And thus our Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) would teach us that the two most beloved names to Allāh which one could name his children with are “ʿAbdullāh” and “ʿAbdurRaḥmān”

Who is ArRaḥmān?

What are the implications of this name on our lives? Both ArRaḥmān and ArRaḥīm are taken from the root word: Raḥma (mercy). Ibn Manthūr defines arRaḥma as: الرِّقَّةُ والتَّعَطُّفُ “a weakness in one’s heart and compassion”. Now, we have a problem here, for we can apply this definition to us human beings but can we apply it to Allāh? We cannot, because Allāh is not touched by any weakness and our Creator is not controlled by emotions like we are at times.

When we see a child suffering our hearts are torn to pieces and our eyes flood with tears. It is this feeling of sorrow which then pushes us to assist the child at hand. This is our Raḥma as humans, but can we say the exact same thing about Allāh? Of course not.

A second difference between our mercy and that of Allāh’s is that when we show mercy, it is a two-way benefit. You benefit the subject of mercy by assisting and benefit yourself by easing your sense of guilt and sorrow. As for Allāh’s mercy, it is most certainly not a two way benefit.

Therefore, though Allāh is “ArRaḥmān”, coming from the root word “mercy” and though there is resemblance in that sense, the definition of Allāh’s mercy is most definitely different to ours. Ibnul Qayyim solves the riddle and says, defining the mercy of Allāh and showing the difference between the two:

“The Raḥma of Allāh is a characteristic which entails that Allāh provides His servant with bounties and benefits even if he does not want it and hates it.”[3]

To bring the meaning closer, a parent may force his child to revise for an exam and thus ban him temporarily from seeing friends. The child hates this but the parent sees this as mercy and it surely is.

A mother may shout at her child and use harsh terms should her child cross the road without looking. Despite her harsh words, this is from her mercy. Similarly, Allāh may warn us using the toughest of words, but it is only for our welfare, not His (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). Thus, Allāh says, وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ وَاللَّهُ رَءُوفٌ بِالْعِبَاد

Why is this definition given by Imām Ibnu Qayyim so important? We may hear people complaining for not having attained what they had planned for and blaming Allāh for missing out on things which they aspired for. This only happens when the individual in question has failed to understand the nature of Allāh’s mercy. Allāh knows that your pursuit for x,y or z would have harmed you. Thus the mercy of Allāh intervenes but, due to our short-sightedness, we blame Ar-Raḥmān. Just as the poet once said,

“The entrance to success and distinction is sometimes through the doors of sadness and pain.”

What does the Raḥma of Allāh actually offer me?

We often hear Imāms in their Duʿā’ imploring Allāh with heavy weeping for His mercy. We hear our teachers strongly encouraging us to beg Allāh for His mercy, and in our conversations we always hear people saying, “Allāh! Have mercy on us!” Although we know what mercy means as a term, in all honesty, many of us are pestered with a question which we are too shy to vocalise, namely: “If Allāh has mercy on me, what does that mean?” Consider the following carefully, for you will never see the Raḥma of Allāh the same way again.

1: When you beg Allāh, saying “Have mercy on me!” you are asking Allāh to give you knowledge of the Qur’ān. Allāh says,

“It was by the mercy of Allāh that you were gentle with them and had you been stern and harsh-hearted they would have dispersed from around you”

Are you tired of being a normal Muslim and crave for the day when people turn to Allāh through you? For homes in Paradise to be built because of you? Do you not long for the skills needed to unlock the highest grades in Jannah? Then beg Allāh for His Raḥma,

3: You are also asking him to erase your sins, both the ones which you remember and the ones which you have forgotten about. Allāh says, كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنْكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

“Your Lord has decreed upon Himself mercy: that any of you who does wrong out of ignorance and then repents after that and corrects himself – indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.”

If the mercy of Allāh touches you, your sins will forsake you.

4: When you ask for His mercy, you are asking for the easing and removal of every one of your difficulties in life. With the Raḥma of Allāh life becomes a dream come true and, without it, life becomes a long lasting nightmare. By Allāh, one may be sleeping on the softest of silk and eating from the finest of food, but if Allāh’s Raḥma is not existant, that silk will seem like thorns and that food will seem like poison. On the other hand, one may be sleeping on thorns and his income may be minimal, but if the Raḥma of Allāh is with him, those thorns will be made to seem softer than silk, his poverty will seem to be affluence and trauma will seem to be bliss.

This was the Raḥma which Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām) experienced when he was in the fire. It became bliss. This was the Raḥma which Yūsuf (ʿalayhi al-Salām) experienced in the well and in the prison. It became bliss. This was the Raḥma which Mūsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) experienced as he grew up in the care of a tyrant. It became bliss. This was the Raḥma which Yunus (ʿalayhi al-Salām) experienced as he sat in the belly of the whale, it became bliss. This was the Raḥma which the youth of the cave experienced in a dark and dingy cave, it became bliss. This is the mercy which, if it touches any human being after begging Allāh for it, his pain becomes happiness, his sorrow becomes joy and the trial becomes a garden of bliss and contentment.

Should Allāh accept your Duʿā’ for His Raḥma, you will be the happiest person in the world and no one can take away this Raḥma from you ever again. Allāh says,

“Whatever Allāh grants to people of mercy – none can withhold it; and whatever He withholds – none can release it thereafter. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”

5: Focus on this last one carefully: When you ask Allāh to give you from His Raḥma, you are asking Him to allow you to walk into Paradise. Our deeds cannot and will not give us access to Jannah on their own, for even the deeds of the Prophets do not qualify them for a moment in Paradise. People will only enter by Allāh’s Raḥma. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Do your best in doing good deeds and come as close as you can to perfection, but know that none of you will enter paradise through his good deeds.” The companions asked: “Not even you, O messenger of Allāh?!” He said: “Not even me, unless Allāh showers me with His mercy and His kindness.”[4]

Beware of blocking yourself from Allāh’s mercy

There are still people, however, who block themselves from Allāh’s mercy; people who think wishfully, not knowing that Allāh’s mercy has missed them, simply because they did not expose themselves to His mercy. They do not realise that His mercy requires hard work, tears, effort and sacrifice. They did not read the Āyāt in which Allāh describes those who will earn His Raḥma. Allāh says

“Call upon Him in fear and aspiration. The mercy of Allāh is near to the doers of good.”

Access to this Raḥma is not through mere hopes and wishful thinking, it is through work, planning, giving up of sinful cravings. When Allāh sees that effort from you, even if it is small, His Raḥma will take you the full length.

So, expose yourself to the Raḥma of Allāh and do not deprive yourself from it. How can we expect the Raḥma of Allāh to fall upon us as we sit in the club or inhale at the Shisha lounge? How can we expect the Raḥma of Allāh to fall upon us as we lend our eyes and ears to the filthiest of TV and internet scenes or the vilest of music? How can we expect His Raḥma to touch us whilst, despite our age, we still have not prepared a strategy for our Hereafter? How can we expect the Raḥma of Allāh to fall upon us if we abuse ourselves with sin?

Every one of us must have a cave which we retreat to, escaping both the environments and people of Ḥarām. For some, this is a literal cave, just as the youth of the cave said to one another after having found themselves surrounded by sin:

“Seek refuge in the cave; your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair”

It was uncomfortable, lonely and dark, but they were certain that Allaāh’s Raḥma would be there and it was.

For others, the cave which they escape to is not a literal one, but figurative. Their cave is in their heartfelt Tawbah (repentance), their cave is finding pious companionship once and for all. Their cave is a portion of Qur’ān that they read and contemplate on on a daily basis. Their cave is the Masājid, the houses of Allāh which they retreat to. Just as the youth of the cave found the mercy of Allāh in their place of refuge, the Raḥma of Allāh will be waiting in your place of refuge.

About Ustādh Ali Hammuda

Ustādh Ali Ihsan Hammuda is a UK national of Palestinian origin. He gained bachelors and masters’ degrees in Architecture & Planning from the University of the West of England, before achieving a BA in Shari'ah from al-Azhar University in Egypt. He is currently based in Wales and is a visiting Imām at Al-Manar Centre in Cardiff, and also a senior researcher and lecturer for the Muslim Research & Development Foundation in London. Ustādh Ali is the author of several books including 'The Daily Revivals' and 'The Ten Lanterns", and continues to deliver sermons, lectures and regular classes across the country.

5 comments

Jazaal Allah Khair for this insightful post , but the quran verses in arabic are not clear & not properly readable & reference is not given to which verse it is from the quran & in many places the arabic is not translated – the reason I point out all this is because I liked this article a lot & wanted to take a printout for my mother to read but without the arabic or atleast its meaning it doesn’t complete the sense which the author is trying to convey.

This is a good site to use to determine references; you enter the transliteration of the ayah, and it returns the matching ayat: http://www.islamicity.org/ps/

e.g. The references for the last section of this article are:
• “My mercy encompasses all things.” So I will write it for those who fear Me and give Zakāh and those who believe in Our verses.” (7:156)
• “What about he who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing in prayer, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord?” (39:9)
• “He (Sāliḥ) said, “O my people, why are you impatient for evil instead of good? Why do you not seek forgiveness of Allāh that you may receive mercy?” (27:46)
• “Establish prayer, give Zakāh and obey the messenger so that you may receive mercy.” (24:56)
• “Call upon Him in fear and aspiration. The mercy of Allāh is near to the doers of good.” (7:56)

Asalam Alaykum wi Rahamtu Allah wi Barakatu. Jazakum Allah khairan for the distinguished effort and the insightful subject handling. I would like to make a notice about a mistyping in the following quotation “The Raḥma of Allāh is a characteristic which entails that Allāh provides His servant with bounties and benefits even if He does not want it and hates it.”[3] The pronoun “He” in the third line of the quotation should be started with small and not a capital letter, as it refers to a human being and not to Allah SWT. Kindly try to correct it as it may alter the meaning for those who are not very well-versed in Islamic literature and Arabic Language. Jazakum Allah khairan.